3 Beaten-Down Stocks That Could Take Off if Interest Rates Come Down This Year

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • The stocks listed here are all down more than 20% this year.

  • Their valuations are pricey, but their exciting growth potential could make them enticing buys.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Robinhood Markets ›

There's a new Fed chair with Kevin Warsh taking over, and there's plenty of debate about whether interest rates might come down this year. While inflation has been a concern of late, the president has been in favor of cutting rates, and with Warsh being his pick, there's the potential that rates may end up coming down in the near future.

If that does happen, there are three stocks that could surge. Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD), Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY), and SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) could all stand to benefit from lower interest rates. Here's why the stocks could possess significant upside if rates come down this year, and whether they may be worth buying right now.

Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »

An excited investor looking at a chart.

Image source: Getty Images.

Robinhood Markets

Shares of Robinhood are down more than 30% this year, and that may be to do with more of a bearish outlook on crypto. Bitcoin has been struggling to stay above $80,000, and that lack of excitement is bad news for Robinhood, whose app generates significant revenue from cryptocurrency trading. Its revenue from that segment was down nearly 50% during the first quarter of 2026.

Robinhood's business is broader than just crypto trading, but its customer base is young and typically takes on more risk than other investors and traders. Thus, when there's an appetite for greater trading and speculation, the company may thrive, and that may happen if interest rates come down.

Today, Robinhood's stock trades at 37 times earnings, which isn't cheap (the S&P 500 average is 27). But for a growing business, and one that's getting into prediction markets, which is likely to be a massive opportunity for the company, it may not be a bad buy on weakness right now. The stock is down around 50% from its 52-week high.

Joby Aviation

Joby Aviation stock has also been struggling this year, with its shares down by more than 22% thus far. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company is an early leader in its industry, and it hopes to launch its commercial air taxi operations later this year.

The problem with Joby, however, is that it's a cash-burning business, and its cash needs may grow as it expands its operations. During the first three months of the year, it used up $144 million just from its day-to-day operating activities, which is an increase from $111 million a year ago. Lower interest rates mean lower borrowing costs for Joby, which can be crucial to keeping its cash burn and losses as low as possible.

Joby, however, is a highly risky stock not only because of its cash burn but also because of its high valuation -- its market cap is $10 billion, which is steep for a company that hasn't commenced its core air taxi operations yet. While the eVTOL stock may have some enticing upside if rates come down, investors should tread carefully with Joby.

SoFi Technologies

Lower interest rates would create a more enticing loan environment, which would be great news for SoFi Technologies. The company provides a broad mix of digital financial services to its customers, with lending being a key part of its business. While the company continues to do well and it generated 43% revenue growth during the first quarter of the year, investors may be worried about a slowdown coming for the overall economy.

The sell-off, however, has been extreme, with SoFi's stock down an incredible 41% thus far in 2026. Part of the problem may have been its high valuation because even with the sharp decline, it's still not terribly cheap, trading at 35 times its trailing earnings.

For long-term investors, SoFi could be a compelling option to pick up right now, given its promising growth prospects as it expands and diversifies its operations and enters new markets. But with it still trading at a high price and plenty of economic uncertainty out there, it may take a while before the stock turns its fortunes around.

Should you buy stock in Robinhood Markets right now?

Before you buy stock in Robinhood Markets, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Robinhood Markets wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $469,293!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,381,332!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 993% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 207% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of May 18, 2026.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Iran Situation Rekindles Threat of War. Bitcoin Price Decline Accelerates, $75,000 Geopolitical Defense Line Faces TestU.S.-Israel discussions on resuming strikes against Iran trigger an accelerated Bitcoin price pullback; future gains depend on whether the $75,000 support level holds.On May 18, the poten
Author  TradingKey
9 hours ago
U.S.-Israel discussions on resuming strikes against Iran trigger an accelerated Bitcoin price pullback; future gains depend on whether the $75,000 support level holds.On May 18, the poten
placeholder
Euro softens to near 1.1600 on US–Iran tensions The EUR/USD pair trades in negative territory around 1.1615 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Euro (EUR) extends the decline as the prolonged US-Iran conflict weighs on the riskier assets.
Author  FXStreet
17 hours ago
The EUR/USD pair trades in negative territory around 1.1615 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Euro (EUR) extends the decline as the prolonged US-Iran conflict weighs on the riskier assets.
placeholder
Financial Markets 2026: Volatility Catalysts in Gold, Silver, Oil, and Blue-Chip Stocks—A CFD Trader's OutlookGet a comprehensive financial market 2026 outlook exploring key economic drivers, volatility catalysts in gold, oil and stocks, and what the evolving economic outlook means for cfd trading strategies and risk management on global markets.
Author  Rachel Weiss
May 15, Fri
Get a comprehensive financial market 2026 outlook exploring key economic drivers, volatility catalysts in gold, oil and stocks, and what the evolving economic outlook means for cfd trading strategies and risk management on global markets.
placeholder
Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: Is the month-long rally over?Bitcoin (BTC) edges slightly lower so far this week, trading at $80,800 on Friday after being rejected around the key overhead supply zone. Institutional investors also show cautious signs, with BTC spot Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recording an outflow of over $709 million through Thursday.
Author  Bitcoinist
May 15, Fri
Bitcoin (BTC) edges slightly lower so far this week, trading at $80,800 on Friday after being rejected around the key overhead supply zone. Institutional investors also show cautious signs, with BTC spot Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recording an outflow of over $709 million through Thursday.
placeholder
Australian Dollar softens to near 0.7200 as Trump and Xi set for second day of talks The AUD/USD pair attracts some sellers to near 0.7205 during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. Markets remain cautious ahead of the second day meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.
Author  FXStreet
May 15, Fri
The AUD/USD pair attracts some sellers to near 0.7205 during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. Markets remain cautious ahead of the second day meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.
goTop
quote